PEORIA - A week after he was arraigned on charges that he under-reported sales tax to state bookkeepers, a Peoria man faces federal charges related to him being in the country illegally.

Prakashbhai Patel, 33, of 2922 W. Wessex St. appeared in U.S. District Court in Peoria on the single count of possession of false documents and agreed to be held in custody of the U.S. marshals pending a review by a federal grand jury.

A federal immigration officer was waiting for Patel outside a Peoria County courtroom Aug. 8 to talk with him about his immigration status. When he and his attorney refused to talk, they were taken into custody. Authorities then found no documents relating to his immigration status or any fingerprints that would show he was in the country legally, according to federal court records.

When questioned, Patel allegedly said he was an Indian citizen and went to Canada in 1999 before illegally entering the United States a week later. If convicted of the federal charge, he faces up to 10 years in prison and likely deportation.

Earlier this month, a Peoria County grand jury indicted Patel for computer fraud, wire fraud and mail fraud plus 24 counts of filing a fraudulent sales tax return. The computer fraud charge is the most serious and carries a maximum of seven years in prison.

The charges, brought by the Illinois Attorney General's office, will be prosecuted in Peoria County Circuit Court.

The charges allege that Patel, who ran the Marathon gas station, 3036 N. Knoxville Ave., between 2008 and mid-summer 2011, knowingly under-reported the sales tax owed. He also is accused of knowingly under-reporting sales tax from a Clark gas station, 3907 N. Sheridan Road, during the same time frame.

In all, the charges allege he under-reported more than $50,000 in sales from each station.

Andy Kravetz can be reached at 686-3283 or akravetz@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @andykravetz.